Physiomedicalism
History of Physiomedicalism
Physiomedicalism is a system of natural medicine that developed during the early 19th century, and in large part is based on the medical discoveries of a poor farmer named Samuel Thomson. Unlike the conventional medical practices of the day, which plied the use of mercury and bloodletting along with a crude understanding of human physiology, Thomson made use of herbal medicines and applied them according an energetic framework that resembles Ayurveda and Unani (Greek) medicine. The Physiomedicalists that succeeded Thomson continued in his stead, refining Thomson's vitalist concepts into a sophisticated system of clinical practice that married the evolving science of the day with herbal medicine. Today elements of the physiomedical tradition live on among Western medical/clinical herbalists found in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Please login or register to see the full articleVitality
The commonality of all physiomedical practices is the knowledge that every living system is governed and maintained by the ‘vital force.’ This is not a theological concept but a simple inference, one that we all know as children and somehow come to rationalize as we age. It is the life force: that which separates us from what we call inanimate, or simply matter.
Please login or register to see the full articleEliminative Function
The body’s ability to eliminate waste materials and toxins is of paramount important to the physiomedicalist, for it is most often this presence that acts as an obstruction to vital function. The importance of overcoming this obstruction was recognized early on by Thomson, who understood it as a symptom of “coldness,” or a decline in metabolic activity.
Please login or register to see the full articleCirculatory Dynamics
Among the advances in knowledge that physiomedicalism took advantage of was a better understanding of circulatory function. The concept of “equalizing the circulation” is in large part due to the work of Wooster Beach, although Thomson’s usage of vapor baths in an attempt to “raise the heat” is essentially the same practice, but phrased in a different way.
Please login or register to see the full articleNervous Equilibrium
The function of the nervous (and endocrine) system is to guide capillary responses such as contraction and relaxation. In the previous section under Circulatory Dynamics, we learned how the flow of blood into tissues is affected by these states. The stimulus for contraction or relaxation is largely regulated by the autonomic nervous system, but also through a variety of local and systemic mechanisms, from prostaglandins to emotional stress.
Please login or register to see the full articleTrophorestoration
The “trophic state” is representative of the vital capacity of a system or tissue in the body. In chronic states of irritation or depression some degree of vital deficiency will manifest in the affected tissue, with a gradual loss of functional capability. This vital deficiency can have a variety of causes, such as environmental toxins (e.g. heavy metals), drug therapies, cancer, infection, or nutritional causes.
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The object of physiomedical practice is the use of herbal medication to restore vitality and return the body’s function to normal. In this sense ‘normal’ is the absence of symptoms of any kind, a positive state reflecting good physical and mental health. ‘Abnormal’ is any process which is a deviation from normal, and can represent both dysfunctional processes as well as positive compensatory mechanisms, such as enhanced elimination (Priest and Priest 1982, 3).
Please login or register to see the full articleMedication and polypharmacy
Broadly speaking, a medication can serve two basic purposes, to either increase the vital capacity of the body, restore homeostasis, and eliminate obstructive conditions; or, to suppress the symptoms and the vital capacity, by interrupting eliminative functions and the body’s attempt to restore homeostasis. It obvious that the difference between these two purposes are reflected in the practices of holistic and conventional medicine, respectively.
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